Baldness and Med school

[celticcyclist]

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A few months ago, I started to develop male pattern baldness. I noticed it when I was standing in front of a mirror and my hair fell out.
It’s really starting to affect my ability to become a doctor. During my IM rotation, an elderly patient (probably just letting off steam) said to me “how can I trust your ability to keep up with my treatment when you can’t even keep up with your own hair?” I was rattled, but continued the disimpaction.
I’ve done everything I can to combat the problem. Rogaine did not seem to yield any noticeable results. I would go bald, but then everyone would want to practice cranial on me. FML.

 

[Sloo0]

Get some plugs.

 

[p30doc]

become a surgeon and wear a surgical cap everywhere

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Go mad hatter... psych!

 

[sashIMI]

combover ftw

 

[Silent Cool]

Start taking Propecia immediately. It is the only thing that works.

A few months ago, I started to develop male pattern baldness. I noticed it when I was standing in front of a mirror and my hair fell out.
It’s really starting to affect my ability to become a doctor. During my IM rotation, an elderly patient (probably just letting off steam) said to me “how can I trust your ability to keep up with my treatment when you can’t even keep up with your own hair?” I was rattled, but continued the disimpaction.
I’ve done everything I can to combat the problem. Rogaine did not seem to yield any noticeable results. I would go bald, but then everyone would want to practice cranial on me. FML.

 

[fiznat]

LOL @ this thread. Well done sir.

 

[Whites83]

I really hate it when all my hair falls out, it's just so heartbreaking!

All jokes aside, I legitimately went from solidly full head of hair to solid male pattern baldness during the first semester of my freshman year of college. My genes are apparently awful, haha.

 

[bongobingo]

I am also concerned🙁 I got less hair than my father🙁

 

[Altruist]

SDN Ads are here to help! I attached a grab of what was showing at the bottom of the thread when I looked. It has to work--it's an ancient Chinese secret, and as we all know, Chinese men never go bald!

 

[thegame11]

Go back in time and change your genes/parents.

 

[JaggerPlate]

+1 for getting on finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil (Rogaine) now, and investigating hair transplantation down the road.


... I work with hair restoration surgeons 😀

 

[bongobingo]

+1 for getting on finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil (Rogaine) now, and investigating hair transplantation down the road.


... I work with hair restoration surgeons 😀

are you balding? do YOU use propecia? i am wary of using something that you have to take for the rest of your life... it is "anti-testosterone". so i doubt it is any more safe than taking steroids to "get buff". there are many other reasons for women not to adore me besides my hair.😱🙁

 

[projectlogic]

aware

 

[patel2]

a few months ago, i started to develop male pattern baldness. I noticed it when i was standing in front of a mirror and my hair fell out.
it's really starting to affect my ability to become a doctor. During my im rotation, an elderly patient (probably just letting off steam) said to me "how can i trust your ability to keep up with my treatment when you can't even keep up with your own hair?" i was rattled, but continued the disimpaction.
i've done everything i can to combat the problem. Rogaine did not seem to yield any noticeable results. I would go bald, but then everyone would want to practice cranial on me. Fml.

aware...

 

[celticcyclist]

It's funny how something so simple can have such a major effect on your career. I got done with my OB rotation recently. I got up early expecting another day of feeling like a useless/fly on the wall med student. Little did I know that my unique talents would actually come to the rescue that day.

About an hour after I arrived, a woman was rushed onto the ward. She was G1 P3 0 0 3, and had elected against an epidural/anesthetics for personal reasons. She was bleeding heavily. It was obvious that she was in extreme pain, but still refused.

As I stood helplessly at the bedside, the attending instructed me to kneel next to the patient. I was confused, but like any grade conscious med student I complied without hesitation. She then walked over and placed the patient's hand onto the balding area of my head. Immediately, almost instinctively, the patient began rubbing my head in a circular motion. The shrieks subsided, and the mother gave birth successfully to triplets.

A fellow did a small study and found that oxytocin levels were elevated almost 200 percent in the patients who rubbed my head as opposed to controls (who were given a women's basketball to rub).

Now I'm a hospital sensation. Everyone is asking if they can borrow "the balding wonder."
In fact, it's gotten to be such a big thing that I'm chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool and all shootin' some b-ball outside the school when a couple of guys who were up to no good, started making trouble in my neighborhood. Got in one little fight and my mom got scared, said you're moving with your Auntie and Uncle in Bel Air.

 

[DocEspana]

It’s funny how something so simple can have such a major effect on your career. I got done with my OB rotation recently. I got up early expecting another day of feeling like a useless/fly on the wall med student. Little did I know that my unique talents would actually come to the rescue that day.

About an hour after I arrived, a woman was rushed onto the ward. She was G1 P3 0 0 3, and had elected against an epidural/anesthetics for personal reasons. She was bleeding heavily. It was obvious that she was in extreme pain, but still refused.

As I stood helplessly at the bedside, the attending instructed me to kneel next to the patient. I was confused, but like any grade conscious med student I complied without hesitation. She then walked over and placed the patient’s hand onto the balding area of my head. Immediately, almost instinctively, the patient began rubbing my head in a circular motion. The shrieks subsided, and the mother gave birth successfully to triplets.

A fellow did a small study and found that oxytocin levels were elevated almost 200 percent in the patients who rubbed my head as opposed to controls (who were given a women’s basketball to rub).

Now I’m a hospital sensation. Everyone is asking if they can borrow “the balding wonder.”
In fact, it’s gotten to be such a big thing that I’m chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool and all shootin' some b-ball outside the school when a couple of guys who were up to no good, started making trouble in my neighborhood. Got in one little fight and my mom got scared, said you're moving with your Auntie and Uncle in Bel Air.

See, I was gonna suggest getting prostate cancer. That way when you get your finasteride/dutasteride they give you the big boy doses. It'll get you your hair back. You'll just get it on your eyebrows, chest, ass, nipples, pits, asscrack, neckbeard as well. HYPERTRICHOSIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Asianjock903]

well if you're still looking for realistic solutions...I would just shave off your hair. my clinical professor has his head shaved and I'm pretty sure he has a problem similar to yours and he looks very professional.

 

[JaggerPlate]

are you balding? do YOU use propecia? i am wary of using something that you have to take for the rest of your life... it is "anti-testosterone". so i doubt it is any more safe than taking steroids to "get buff". there are many other reasons for women not to adore me besides my hair.😱🙁

Nope ... not balding ergo no need for the Propecia (I'd get on it + minoxidil immediately if I was).

It's not really anti-testosterone, it's anti-conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) - the hormone actual responsible for killing the follicles. Finasteride is an inhibitor that blocks the 5-alpha-reductase (type 2) enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone in your body, hence reducing the amount of DHT in the blood, and the chances of killing the hair follicles. Studies have actually shown that Propecia users have normal to slightly elevated levels of testosterone.

It's far, far safer than taking 'steroids to get buff,' (and quite different from a biochemical/feedback-esque standpoint as well) and a lot of people see it as a good preventive measure, especially in younger patients (like the OP).

However, if he (or anyone else) is uncomfortable with Propecia, minoxidil (Rogaine) is an effective option too (though not as effective as minoxidil + finasteride), and takes some of the 'hormone worries' out of the equation.

PS - sorry if this is starting to border on 'no, no SDN medical advice' - definitely not my intent.

 

[bongobingo]

Anybody can look up wikipedia or pubmed,etc. Here is a nice picture http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20805972
Obviously it has its pros and cons just like any other drug that requires FDA approval. And guess what, if I do decide to get it, I will be forced to go to a doctor who will tell me about pros/cons and take responsibility for any clinical advice.

Your disclaimer "no SDN medical advice" is quite offensive! As far as I know hairloss is not officially considered a disease just like obesity, aging. It is correlated with many diseases, but a doctor gives "clinical advice" only on officially recognized diseases/symptoms such as heart pain. Are you calling Terry Bradshaw sick?😀 Or maybe Bruce Willis or Danny Devitto(fat,bald, and short and he still gets all the ***** in the world)?

To get back on topic, what do I have to gain by keeping my hair? I mean I understand it is hard to imagine myself without hair (I am balding but not bald yet). But lets say I have very noticeable baldness at 35. Does it mean that I will look 40. And if I have absolutely no baldness I will look 30? So I will be better able to date much younger women? What if I got other quality that make a much stronger case for women to either like me or dislike me? I guess given X% chance that this treatment will make me look significantly younger Y years from now, there is also a Z% chance that it will make me impotent.

Nope ... not balding ergo no need for the Propecia (I'd get on it + minoxidil immediately if I was).

It's not really anti-testosterone, it's anti-conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) - the hormone actual responsible for killing the follicles. Finasteride is an inhibitor that blocks the 5-alpha-reductase (type 2) enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone in your body, hence reducing the amount of DHT in the blood, and the chances of killing the hair follicles. Studies have actually shown that Propecia users have normal to slightly elevated levels of testosterone.

It's far, far safer than taking 'steroids to get buff,' (and quite different from a biochemical/feedback-esque standpoint as well) and a lot of people see it as a good preventive measure, especially in younger patients (like the OP).

However, if he (or anyone else) is uncomfortable with Propecia, minoxidil (Rogaine) is an effective option too (though not as effective as minoxidil + finasteride), and takes some of the 'hormone worries' out of the equation.

PS - sorry if this is starting to border on 'no, no SDN medical advice' - definitely not my intent.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Anybody can look up wikipedia or pubmed,etc. Here is a nice picture http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20805972
Obviously it has its pros and cons just like any other drug that requires FDA approval. And guess what, if I do decide to get it, I will be forced to go to a doctor who will tell me about pros/cons and take responsibility for any clinical advice.

Yup, I guess anybody can look it up ... guess you should have before you asked me then???

Of course it has it's pros and cons, but the most associated 'con' in the minds of many men is the reported sexual side effects. However, the official statement is that they affect less than 3% of users and subsides after stopping the medication (although certain groups are starting to study it and find there may be more to the picture). Additionally, the article you linked on gynecomastia doesn't seem overtly common (as the abstract states) so it's something the physician needs to mention in the same vein as all drug side effects for any medication.

Your disclaimer "no SDN medical advice" is quite offensive! As far as I know hairloss is not officially considered a disease just like obesity, aging. It is correlated with many diseases, but a doctor gives "clinical advice" only on officially recognized diseases/symptoms such as heart pain. Are you calling Terry Bradshaw sick?😀 Or maybe Bruce Willis or Danny Devitto(fat,bald, and short and he still gets all the ***** in the world)?

I guess it depends on how you define disease. Would I compare someone losing their hair to a cancer patient? Absolutely not. However, there is a field of medicine dedicated, in part, to treating conditions of the hair (derm) and an even smaller subset that focuses just on hair restoration, so to say that it isn't medically related seems far fetched.

Additionally, I wouldn't consider having small breasts or a big nose a 'disease' either, but if I was a plastic surgeon offering breast augmentation and rhinoplasty consults on SDN ... you better believe the mods would see this as 'medical advice.'

Bottom line, we were discussing the use of a prescription medication. You can't get this without an RX from a health professional, ergo realm of medical advise.

To get back on topic, what do I have to gain by keeping my hair? I mean I understand it is hard to imagine myself without hair (I am balding but not bald yet). But lets say I have very noticeable baldness at 35. Does it mean that I will look 40. And if I have absolutely no baldness I will look 30? So I will be better able to date much younger women? What if I got other quality that make a much stronger case for women to either like me or dislike me? I guess given X% chance that this treatment will make me look significantly younger Y years from now, there is also a Z% chance that it will make me impotent.

You can justify it to yourself anyway you'd like. It's devastating to some people, and others really don't care (or assume from a pretty young age that they will lose it regardless based on a family history). Frankly, it does sound like something that's bothering you (I don't think you'd be harking on it this much if it wasn't), and if this is the case, it's your decision whether or not you do something about it. Whatever makes you happy.

 

[hawkeye pierce]

I think most people would consider obesity a disease.

 

[bongobingo]

You can justify it to yourself anyway you'd like. It's devastating to some people, and others really don't care (or assume from a pretty young age that they will lose it regardless based on a family history). Frankly, it does sound like something that's bothering you (I don't think you'd be harking on it this much if it wasn't), and if this is the case, it's your decision whether or not you do something about it. Whatever makes you happy.

it does bother me. And I want other baldies to come out.

 

[KingSemeloDO]

it does bother me. And I want other baldies to come out.

Well, here is one....I'm a First year and I believe anatomy and biochem is the culprit of my baldness. my father and mother are not bald and i don't understand why I have to go through this.... I'm mad as hell...lol...... listen ladies and gents, face it, it's over. I realize that two months ago, I'm almost 26 so I know that's it for me. Welcome to the balding club....yaaaahooooooooo ooooo!

 

[carolinablue]

My biggest fear of bring in medical school is that it will make me bald, fat, old, and money hungry...first years always look so young and healthy...4th years look like soulless shells of theif former selves lol. Maybe I'm just having a negative outlook tho

 

[DocEspana]

My biggest fear of bring in medical school is that it will make me bald, fat, old, and money hungry...first years always look so young and healthy...4th years look like soulless shells of theif former selves lol. Maybe I'm just having a negative outlook tho

seems about right. :

 

[bongobingo]

My biggest fear of bring in medical school is that it will make me bald, fat, old, and money hungry...first years always look so young and healthy...4th years look like soulless shells of theif former selves lol. Maybe I'm just having a negative outlook tho

I am older than some of the 4th years. What do you all think of saw palmetto? How is it different from finasteride? I mean I read some studies and basically some claim it is a little less potent and some claim a lot less potent. But otherwise if you're worried about side-effects they're directly proportional to how potent it is?

 

[foreseen]

I would shave my head for a while, until the baldness reached it's full potential. I would save some money along the way. Then eventually I'd get surgery with the saved money. The use of creams and shampoos are not just inconvenient, they are temporary and thus a waste of money. I have similar feelings regarding wrinkle creams.

If you're gonna do it, go for it full force 👍

 

[bongobingo]

I would shave my head for a while, until the baldness reached it's full potential. I would save some money along the way. Then eventually I'd get surgery with the saved money. The use of creams and shampoos are not just inconvenient, they are temporary and thus a waste of money. I have similar feelings regarding wrinkle creams.

If you're gonna do it, go for it full force 👍

shaved heads often look like penis heads. unless it is michael jordan.

 

[Maison]

During my IM rotation, an elderly patient (probably just letting off steam) said to me “how can I trust your ability to keep up with my treatment when you can’t even keep up with your own hair?"

Hahaha. Jesus.

Just shave it, man. Confidence can make the bald look work.

Patrick Stewart in an interview once talked about how scared he was of shaving his head at nineteen when he began losing his hair. His friend snuck up on him and shaved it off one day. He held a piece of hair in front of Stewart's face and said, "There, now stop hiding." Patrick Stewart has been bald ever since.

I shaved my head completely a few months ago in a sort of experiment and surprisingly, everyone told me I looked larger and intimidating.

Also, Walter White is bald and it works for him.

 

[foreseen]

shaved heads often look like penis heads. unless it is michael jordan.

I think young men look more athletic if they have a shaved head...and athletic=attractive in today's world...My brother has really thick hair but he keeps his head practically shaved all the time.

Besides, what's wrong with penis heads...you might be sending out subliminal messages to women about certain things they might like.

 

[trixiecat]

Don't use rogaine. Hair loss is common. I have Trichotillomania and will be a doctor. I wear head coverings most of the time when I'm bald so it doesn't distract from patient care. Or I get a wig. Wear a scrub cap maybe for a man?
Or just shave it off. Patients should understand male pattern baldness though. If you think it may be more just tell them you have alopecia or something.

 

[fiznat]

You people are killing this thread. Such potential, wasted.

 

[IamaBanana]

1. Grow soul patch
2. Acquire French accent
3. ???????
4. Profit

 

[DocEspana]

You people are killing this thread. Such potential, wasted.

I suggested prostate cancer so he can hard-line dutasteride. But noooooooo. Dont suggest malignancies. Apparently that's poor ethics. I tried to nurture the potential here.

 

[patel2]

next time a patient questions your hair, simply respond

 

[celticcyclist]

I was given an experimental regimen that succeeded in restoring my hair. I'm not sure exactly what drugs were used, but shock therapy or "tickling the follicles" as they called it was the mainstay of the treatment.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with the results. It was absolutely worth the hopefully temporary bell's palsy and minor inability to use my left arm.

 

[bongobingo]

wow. how can i get this therapy?

I was given an experimental regimen that succeeded in restoring my hair. I'm not sure exactly what drugs were used, but shock therapy or "tickling the follicles" as they called it was the mainstay of the treatment.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with the results. It was absolutely worth the hopefully temporary bell's palsy and minor inability to use my left arm.

 

[bubbabott]

1. Grow soul patch
2. Acquire French accent
3. ???????
4. Profit

+1

 

[braggable]

1. Grow soul patch
2. Acquire French accent
3. ???????
4. Profit

aware

 

[valkener]

1. shave
2. start working out (if you're bald, you better be BIG)
3. /thread

 

[NurWollen]

Marketing necro-bump success.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

Finastramide/propecia can seriously affect male sexual function in the short and long term. That should be a consideration.

 

[NeuroLAX]

Finastramide/propecia can seriously affect male sexual function in the short and long term. That should be a consideration.

You mean finasteride?

 

[Anastomoses]

I have a cousin who uses propecia and finasteride since he was 23 because we noticed where things were headed...and it has really really worked out marvelously. No side effects on the sex drive either.

Patrick Stewart is probably the only bald man I've seen that looked good bald. Everyone else needs their hair.

 

[EmergDoc2B]

I have a cousin who uses propecia and finasteride since he was 23 because we noticed where things were headed...and it has really really worked out marvelously. No side effects on the sex drive either.

Patrick Stewart is probably the only bald man I've seen that looked good bald. Everyone else needs their hair.

i see what you did there...

 

[Rub A Dub GTI]

I have been shaving my head for 7 years now. Its not so bad, and no one has ever said a thing about my lack of hair 🙂

 

[gmcguitar4]

I have been on finasteride for about a year now and it is definitely slowing down my MPB. It is the way to go! The sexual side effects happen to soooo few people but when you search the internet you see so many warnings and people saying they have these effects. Usually the angriest voices are the loudest though. It is worth a try for sure.